By Bob Holliday, WRALSportsFan contributor

Cooper Flagg’s time at Duke has flown by.

In a matter of weeks, his season will end and many believe he’ll enter the NBA Draft, likely becoming the No. 1 pick. This Duke team has had great success, compiling a historic 19-1 conference record, 33-3 overall. The Blue Devils win by more than 20 points per game, an astonishing number.

To be sure, Flagg has a strong supporting cast (See Tyrese Proctor against Baylor). But in my view, Flagg has done enough individually to invite comparisons with the greatest players in Duke’s storied history.

Let’s begin by comparing Flagg’s numbers with Duke’s last great one-and-done Zion Williamson.

Cooper Flagg

• FG%: 49
• 3PT%: 36
• FT%: 83
• Points per game: 19
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 33-3 (19-1 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Still playing

Zion Williamson    

• FG%: 68
• 3PT%: 34
• FT%: 64
• Points per game: 23
• Rebounds per game: 9
• Assists per game: 2
• Steals per game: 2
• Blocks per game: 2
• Team W-L: 32-6 (14-4 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Elite Eight

Zion has a slight edge in numbers, in part because he got more steals and blocks. But I would argue that Flagg is a better overall defender. He stays home more. Remember how he completely closed down the lane in Duke’s win over UNC in Chapel Hill? Most of all, Flagg’s team is more successful than Zion’s team, which finished third in the ACC and lost in the NCAA’s Elite Eight.

I won’t compare Flagg to Duke’s all time scoring leader J.J. Redick, because Redick was a much smaller player. But we can match Cooper’s numbers with the player who holds the Duke single game scoring record of 58. That’s Danny Ferry.

Cooper Flagg

• FG%: 49
• 3PT%: 36
• FT%: 83
• Points per game: 19
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 33-3 (19-1 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Still playing

Danny Ferry

• FG%: 48
• 3PT%: 39
• FT%: 78
• Points per game: 15
• Rebounds per game: 7
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 2
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 37-3/24-9/28-7/28-8
• NCAA Tournament result: 3 Final Fours

Ferry played four years but came off the bench as a freshman. His career averages would have been higher if he played Flagg’s minutes as a freshman. That said, while Ferry’s numbers are competitive he comes up a little short of Cooper Flagg. Also Duke’s teams between 1986-1989 did not fare as well as this Duke team. Notably though, Duke made the Final Four in three of Ferry’s four years.

Next, let’s look at Christian Laettner vs. Flagg.

Cooper Flagg

• FG%: 49
• 3PT%: 36
• FT%: 83
• Points per game: 19
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 33-3 (19-1 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Still playing

Christian Laettner

• FG%: 57
• 3PT%: 49
• FT%: 81
• Points per game: 17
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 2
• Steals per game: 2
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 29-8/29-9/32-7/34-2
• NCAA Tournament result: NCAA championships in 1991, 1992

Laettner’s three point percentage was phenomenal, but he did not shoot as many threes as the other players we measured. Very accurate though! Also the teams on which he played suffered more losses than the Cooper Flagg Blue Devils except in ’92 when Duke won the second of its back to back championships.

Grant Hill was not as big a scorer as Flagg, but another really versatile player on successful Duke teams. Let’s compare:

Cooper Flagg

• FG%: 49
• 3PT%: 36
• FT%: 83
• Points per game: 19
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 33-3 (19-1 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Still playing

Grant Hill

• FG%: 53
• 3PT%: 38
• FT%: 70
• Points per game: 15
• Rebounds per game: 6
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 2
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 25-6/34-2/24-8/28-6
• NCAA Tournament result: NCAA championships in 1991, 1992; Final Four in 1994

One thing is sure-Flagg does not jump like Grant Hill. Who can forget the ridiculous leap he made in the ’91 Final Four to one hand the ball before it went out of bounds and throw it down for two as Duke beat Kansas for the national title.

Shane Battier is unique in that he drew tons of charging calls and of course now charging is called pretty infrequently. But let’s see how Battier’s “3 and D” numbers measure up to Cooper’s:

Cooper Flagg

• FG%: 49
• 3PT%: 36
• FT%: 83
• Points per game: 19
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 33-3 (19-1 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Still playing

Shane Battier

• FG%: 50
• 3PT%: 42
• FT%: 78
• Points per game: 14
• Rebounds per game: 6
• Assists per game: 2
• Steals per game: 2
• Blocks per game: 2
• Team W-L: 32-4/37-2/29-5/35-4
• NCAA Tournament result: Won 2001 national championship

Battier played on Duke’s great 1999 team which went 16-0 in the ACC and won games by an average margin of 24.5 points per game-bigger margins than even the current Duke team. But that Blue Devil team lost the national title game to Connecticut and so is not remembered in the same way as the 2001 team. Battier was a team leader and one of my all-time favorite interviews, once discussing the principle of karma—most unusal in a locker room setting.

Since I’m hearing that today’s players don’t know how good Coach Jon Scheyer was as a player, let’s do one final comparison.

Cooper Flagg

• FG%: 49
• 3PT%: 36
• FT%: 83
• Points per game: 19
• Rebounds per game: 8
• Assists per game: 4
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 33-3 (19-1 ACC)
• NCAA Tournament result: Still playing

Jon Scheyer

• FG%: 41
• 3PT%: 38
• FT%: 86
• Points per game: 14
• Rebounds per game: 4
• Assists per game: 3
• Steals per game: 1
• Blocks per game: 1
• Team W-L: 22-11/28-6/30-7/35-5
• NCAA Tournament result: Won 2010 national championship

Scheyer’s final Duke team won the ACC and defeated Butler for the National Championship. Scheyer was a virtual coach on the floor that 2010 season.

Fast forward to 2025. Flagg’s individual stats stack up with the best ever to play at Duke. His legacy as a winner is still in front of him. He has a chance to lead the Blue Devils to the winningest single season in program history. At 37-3 they would actually tie the 1986 team but have a better conference record.

And one other thing we know about Flagg. He is tough. Cooper has already come back from an ankle injury severe enough that it hurt visually to watch the replay.

Sunday against Baylor Flagg took a swipe across the face from the Bears’ Norchad Omier and got poked in the eye. There was some blood and swelling. But he was able to get treatment during a tv time out and played 30 minutes, scoring 18 points with 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Baylor kept it close for much of the first half but with Flagg despite the eye, playing his usual game at both ends of the court, Duke won 89-66. Chalk up one more dominant win for the Cooper Flagg-led Blue Devils.

Source: wralsportsfan.com